629. Level 250 – The Echelons of the Beholders

629. Level 250 – The Echelons of the Beholders

Frost’s visit to Paradise had finally come to a triumphant end. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect to take down a Paradise Lost Corrupted, especially not in the way she did.

She could just collapse onto her knees in relief. But she stood there, basking in the sunshine.

“Nav.”

“Frost!? You’re finally answering me!”

Her panicked expression didn’t fit her monotone voice at all. It made Frost grin to herself, happy to hear that voice again.

“I think luck really is my best trait.”

“Are you all there!? Do you have any idea how worried we are!?”

Ah. It’s not just Nav. It’s everyone else.

Frost threw herself onto a broken bench, listening to the voices of concern delivered through Nav.

“You went silent for minutes! Minutes!” This manner of speech undoubtedly belonged to Cer. “At least say something or we’ll misunderstand, you idiot!”

“I’m sorry. I got into some trouble. Tell Cer I might take a nibble from her if she lets me off the hook.”

“Nav said you suddenly stopped talking. She couldn’t get to you. Mn. You’re terrible Frost. Did you fall asleep?” Ignis murmured.

“I promise I’ll make it up to you Ignis. I’m about to head back now.”

“You better. Frost, you really should say something you know!” Ber scolded. “The fact that it happened in Paradise doesn’t make it any better.”

“You’re right. But this was completely out of my hands. I’ll explain as soon as I can.”

“Please, apologize to us.” Res sighed. “At least to Jury. Enough is on her plate as is. She’s been watching over the Nexus in your stead.”

Frost froze at the mention of her lover’s name.

“… Yeah. I’m sorry. Jury, it must’ve been a scare for you. Are you ok?”

“Isn’t that my line?” Jury asserted breathlessly. “What happened to you? Nav sent out a warning as soon as she lost contact with you! My ring didn’t break. You weren’t in mortal danger, so what happened?”

Nav even simulated Jury’s breathlessness with terrifying accuracy. She must’ve run from something important when the news reached her. Guilt ate at Frost, but she was oddly happy to hear that they were all so worried about her.

“It’s a long story. Well, not long. I just stumbled into something bigger than anticipated.” Frost spoke truthfully, not wanting to worry Jury any more than she needed to. “… It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve heard your voice.”

“Are you really ok?” Jury managed to sense the thoughts weighing on Frost’s mind, lending her an ear and an invisible shoulder to rest on.

“I’m fine. Really. I wouldn’t lie to you, Jury. I’m just a bit tired. Hey, does this ring transmit my emotions?”

Frost laughed, inspecting the ring further. Jury remained silent on the other end. She was still concerned for her.

“I just know. Frost. Tell me what happened. It must’ve been big if Nav couldn’t get to you. The Nexus shook, you know? Another floor opened at the same time. You can see why it became such a big thing.”

The only times the Nexus shook was when it reacted to Frost’s emotional state, or when a Floor opened. It must have been mistaken for the former, which led to widespread panic. The Nexus operated on a hair trigger now Frost noticed it.

Frost heaved herself from the bench and took a stroll around Paradise, cradling The Piece of Paradise like a bouquet. She began from the beginning, right where she lost contact with Nav.

From Dark Memoria to the Icon of Judgement, the Princess, the Sins, the Angels, and that she managed to bring back a piece of the Princess from the past into the present.

What she didn’t mention was everything between, like the fact that Iscario and the Princess were the children of Michaela. That was something she wanted to tell Jury in person. Frost made it clear that she had more to tell her when she returned.

“We’ll speak soon.”

Though for some reason, Jury spoke like they’d be talking much sooner in person.

“On the bright side, I can confirm that the triplets can mobilize a sizable force. The Seci Response Arm and the Black Wings were assembled in my Workshop.”

“Don’t tell me… They were about to send an army of Moons into Grandis?” Frost murmured.

“No. They were going to find you themselves. The Moons were mobilized in case something happened to the Nexus while they were gone.”

“… good thing I came back just in time. Haaaaah. Hey. Jury. Do you remember when we first met them? They came to Grandis looking for me. We almost had another cycle on our hands.”

Frost jokingly said, reminiscing.

“Cycle? What are you talking about? Frost. It’s because they love you very much.”

It made Frost feel warm inside. Hearing the love from her friends gave her renewed energy to survey the remainder of Paradise in search of the Price of Paradise. Though she knew that it was unlikely that it was still here, she did it anyway, speaking to her loved ones like they were right next to her.

“Frost. Can you hold onto our ring?”

“I’m already wearing it.”

“Hold it with your free hand. Press your thumb and index finger on it.”

“Ok. Done. What happens next?”

“Hold it there for a few minutes. As I said, we’ll be talking in person very soon.”

Frost’s Nex was drawn into the ring, empowering it. A faint, pale glow appeared within the dark onyx. She peered deeply into the ring, finally catching a glimpse of her reflection.

Her jaw dropped, and her eyes sparked with fascination.

“… Woah…”

“Is leering the same as admiring now?” Frost laughed. “I can’t help it. These eyes were always my type. That’s probably why I fell for Jury so quickly. Stern eyes are just irresistible.”

“Mhm. Thank you. I’m back.”

She stopped by the garden in the center of Paradise and tugged on strands of her Coat of Prejudice. Black and golden feathers burst from the torn holes like giant icicles. They smothered her visage, covering her appropriately as she donned her illustrious version of the Coat of Prejudice.

“Hey, Nav. What do you think about gold on black?”

Frost brushed her fingers through her hair as she stared into the eyes of her reflection. The muted, dull colors became brighter as though she was staring at another version of herself.

Finally, was able to behold her newfound appearance in all its golden glory.

“Then you’ll love how I look now.”

* * *

Beholder Skills

Prophecy of Flames

LEVEL : 269

The Amalgam

NAME : Frost

HP : 25,000,000

MP : 600,000

AGI : 95

RESIST : 500

AGE : 1

ATT : 15,000

MAG ATT : 15,000

O : 174

D : 37

ORIGIN : Archetype

ATT DEF : 12,000

MAG DEF : 12,000

S : 272

E : 88

OFFENSIVE

ULTRA VIOLENCE: 111

CONFLAGRATOR: 63

DEFENSIVE

COUNTER OFFENSIVE: 37

SUPPORT

THE OTHERWORLDLY HEALER: 257

LEADERSHIP: 15

EXPLORATION

APPRAISER: 40

COOK: 40

COMPREHENSION: 8

OFFENSIVE

(O) Punch V

(O) Double Punch II [5/10]

(O) Goodnight [1/10]

(O) Armor Piercing I [6/10]

(O) Magnitude I [7/10]

(O) Obliterate [2/10]

(O) Inferno II [3/10]

(O) Liquid Fire II [2/10]

(O) Thermal Propagation I [8/10]

(O) Cinder’s Light [0/10]

DEFENSIVE

(D) Solemn Counter III [7/10]

SUPPORT

(S) Grand Healing V

(S) Cure Disease III [6/10]

(S) Prolonged Stasis V

(S) Area heal III [3/10]

(S) Cleanse IV [9/10]

(S) Corporeal Restoration III [9/10]

(S) Inspiration! I [5/10]

EXPLORATION

(E) Home Cook IV [0/10]

(E) Appraise Object III [4/10]

(E) Non-Euclidian Interpretation [8/10]

OFFENSIVE

(O) Tooth and Nail

(O) Severe Combo

(O) Fight, Never Flight!

(O) Origin of Flames

(O) Finely Tuned Violence

(O) Remnants of an Ancient Ember

(O) Plagueflame

DEFENSIVE

(D) Fine Line

(D) Instinctive Drive

SUPPORT

(S) Hyper Saturated Blood

(S) Medical Attention Please!

(S) Ultra Coordinated

(S) Mana Profusion

(S) Painkiller

(S) Heart of Hearts

EXPLORATION

(E) Dimensional Storage III (27kg/60kg)

(E) Comprehension I

(O) Punch V: Omnipresent Maw

(S) Grand Healing V: Black Dove’s Commitment

(S) Prolonged Stasis V: Black Dove’s Roost

Locked

Archetype of Amalgamation

Blessing of the Amalgam

Eyes of Judgement

Language of Judgement

Unwavering Wick

String Theory (Aspect of Technology)

Touch of the Black Dove

Strike of the Black Dove

The Language of Greed

Leader of Hearts

Nex Accumulation (Aspect of Technology)

Reach for the Stars!

Spatial Distortion IV (Aspect of Technology)

Oblivion Lock (Aspect of Technology)

Nascent Fluids (Aspect of Technology)

Soul Anchor (Aspect of Technology)

Raw Fragment of the Warped Stone (Aspect of a Star)

The Universal Language

Technological Convergence

Dreaming Sheep

Glimmers Be Silenced

The Heart of Judgement